Category
Encrypted criminal communications takedowns
Actions against encrypted phone and messaging networks sold to criminal groups.
Records
4
2018 to 2024
Infrastructure
6
Items recorded as acted on
People named
17
Distinct people in these records
Sources
9
Cited across the category
What this category covers
The techniques differ materially. Some networks were intercepted, some were run by investigators as controlled platforms, and some were compromised at the device or network level. Each record names which.
Every entry below is an action that was carried out, not an announcement of intent. The counting rules and the inclusion definition apply to this category exactly as they apply to the rest of the index.
What the record does not settle
- 2 of 4 records have a documented successor. Silence in the other rows is not evidence that a service stayed down.
- Reported figures come from the acting authorities. Named figures come from people recorded individually here. The two are never added together.
Chronology
| Date | Takedown | Target | Led by | Jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 1, 2018 | Operation Trojan Shield | ANOM | FBI and AFP | International |
| Apr 1, 2020 | EncroChat interception and shutdown | EncroChat | French Gendarmerie and Dutch National Police | International |
| Feb 1, 2021 | Sky ECC interception and action day | Sky ECC | Belgian Federal Police and Dutch National Police | International |
| Dec 3, 2024 | Matrix encrypted messaging service takedown | Matrix | French Gendarmerie and Dutch National Police | Not established |
Who leads these actions
- Dutch National Police 3 records
- French Gendarmerie 2 records
- AFP 1 record
- Belgian Federal Police 1 record
- FBI 1 record
Where they were carried out
- European Union 3 records
- Netherlands 3 records
- France 2 records
- Sweden 2 records
- United States 2 records
- Australia 1 record
- Belgium 1 record
- Germany 1 record
A takedown is counted once for every country named in its geographic scope, so these figures sum to more than 4.